and had coffee and toast.
"You see what you've done?" Linda addressed the house, looking up at the ceiling. "You've made me hurt that little girl's feelings trying to keep her away from you. It's me, you want, you told me that. Let's keep it straight. Talk to her again and I burn this place down."
The ceiling rumbled like heavy boots were treading the floors above on the second floor.
"You don't scare me," she lied. "You don't even belong here. You just haven't been sent your invitation to dance in hell yet."
The rumbling ceased. The rest of the day Linda took care of her back and made phone calls and, finally, an appointment.
#
It was Friday. She was at the church at exactly eleven A.M. for the appointment. Hayden only supported one small Catholic church . The Father met her in the vestibule and led her to his office. He closed the door, took his place behind his desk.
"Now how can I help you, Mrs. Broderick?"
"It's Miss. I've never married."
He smiled and steepled his fingers. "How can I be of help?"
"Do you believe in evil? True evil working in the world today?"
He was stingy with his words. He took his time. "Maybe we should define the word a little. By evil, do you mean the evil that people do?"
"No, I mean the evil that you can't see, that stands outside the purview of man. The evil that has to do with a real devil and real demons and damned souls."
Again he sat long moments before answering. "What exactly are we talking about? Do you think you're possessed?"
"No, I think a house is possessed."
"A house." He sat back in his chair. "Why would a house be possessed?"
"Because it's been baptized with blood. Do you know any history of this town?"
He nodded. "A little. I've lived here all my life."
"And you're what, forty, forty-five?"
"Forty-two."
"Then you weren't here when my parents were murdered. By a house." She pulled photocopies of old news items from her purse that she'd gotten from the library and pushed them across the desk to him.
He sat reading. When finished, he looked sick. He glanced up and said, "This says the couple was killed by intruders."
"No, they weren't."
Confused, the Father looked again at the papers. "But it says..."
"They were my parents. I was six. It happened a few minutes after 3A.M. on a November night. I heard my mother scream and ran down the hall. I saw what murdered them. I saw...I saw the whole world shattering and falling into chaos. I had suppressed that memory until I came back, bought the house, and moved into it. Now the walls are alive, Father. If you want to help me, you have to believe me. There's real evil there. It's alive."
His thoughts leaped out to her and she blinked. He thought, You should burn the bastard down .
She looked down to her hands in her lap. Her back still hurt and she was hunched over to relieve pressure on the muscles. "I can't do this alone. I've already tried. And I have to tell you, the evil there might be unleashed if something...happens...to the house."
I'd burn it , he thought.
"Unleashed," Linda repeated. "Set free. What do evil spirits do if they're part of a structure and then that structure disappears. Do the spirits disappear? No. They
"You see what you've done?" Linda addressed the house, looking up at the ceiling. "You've made me hurt that little girl's feelings trying to keep her away from you. It's me, you want, you told me that. Let's keep it straight. Talk to her again and I burn this place down."
The ceiling rumbled like heavy boots were treading the floors above on the second floor.
"You don't scare me," she lied. "You don't even belong here. You just haven't been sent your invitation to dance in hell yet."
The rumbling ceased. The rest of the day Linda took care of her back and made phone calls and, finally, an appointment.
#
It was Friday. She was at the church at exactly eleven A.M. for the appointment. Hayden only supported one small Catholic church . The Father met her in the vestibule and led her to his office. He closed the door, took his place behind his desk.
"Now how can I help you, Mrs. Broderick?"
"It's Miss. I've never married."
He smiled and steepled his fingers. "How can I be of help?"
"Do you believe in evil? True evil working in the world today?"
He was stingy with his words. He took his time. "Maybe we should define the word a little. By evil, do you mean the evil that people do?"
"No, I mean the evil that you can't see, that stands outside the purview of man. The evil that has to do with a real devil and real demons and damned souls."
Again he sat long moments before answering. "What exactly are we talking about? Do you think you're possessed?"
"No, I think a house is possessed."
"A house." He sat back in his chair. "Why would a house be possessed?"
"Because it's been baptized with blood. Do you know any history of this town?"
He nodded. "A little. I've lived here all my life."
"And you're what, forty, forty-five?"
"Forty-two."
"Then you weren't here when my parents were murdered. By a house." She pulled photocopies of old news items from her purse that she'd gotten from the library and pushed them across the desk to him.
He sat reading. When finished, he looked sick. He glanced up and said, "This says the couple was killed by intruders."
"No, they weren't."
Confused, the Father looked again at the papers. "But it says..."
"They were my parents. I was six. It happened a few minutes after 3A.M. on a November night. I heard my mother scream and ran down the hall. I saw what murdered them. I saw...I saw the whole world shattering and falling into chaos. I had suppressed that memory until I came back, bought the house, and moved into it. Now the walls are alive, Father. If you want to help me, you have to believe me. There's real evil there. It's alive."
His thoughts leaped out to her and she blinked. He thought, You should burn the bastard down .
She looked down to her hands in her lap. Her back still hurt and she was hunched over to relieve pressure on the muscles. "I can't do this alone. I've already tried. And I have to tell you, the evil there might be unleashed if something...happens...to the house."
I'd burn it , he thought.
"Unleashed," Linda repeated. "Set free. What do evil spirits do if they're part of a structure and then that structure disappears. Do the spirits disappear? No. They
Similar Books
